Health Is Just a Bowl of Cherries

I am sure you’ve heard the old saying, “Life is just a bowl of cherries” and Mary Engelbreit’s clever phrase, “Life is just a chair of bowlies,” reminding us that life can be simple if you let it. Having been born in Michigan, I know that Traverse City is the cherry capitol of the world and I’m sure the citizens of that town understand the importance of cherries, not just for taste but for health. As #7 on HealthNews’ Dozen: Foods for a Longer Life,  cherries have a lot to offer on the table besides color.

Cherries are known for being rich in antioxidants like their fruit cousin the blueberry, and contain lycopene, vitamin A, and beta-carotene, all helpful for boosting the immune system, the prevention of bad cholesterol, reversing free radicals and protecting from certain cancers caused by free radicals, and the highly touted anti-aging effects.

Another popular antioxidant is common in our culture today: red wine. A lot of health benefits have been proven with the consumption of red wine and the potent miracle drink is often on dinner tables across the country perfectly paired with succulent dishes to enhance their flavor and your enjoyment. Chianti—Italy’s famous type of wine—is traditionally infused with herbs, honey and cherries and has culturally been thought to be the secret to a long and healthy life among Italians, Salute!

Besides their antioxidant quality, cherries are also part of a balanced diet according to the pH scale. In compliance with a certain level of acidity, the foods you eat should be evenly distributed along the acid scale. By enjoying alkaline foods, they energize you and counteract the acid being absorbed into the bloodstream so your cells can be restored. Too much acid—known as acidosis—is known by some professionals in the healthcare industry to be the main cause of most illnesses. In order to keep your metabolism, digestive and respiratory tracks healthy the acid-alkaline balance in your body needs to be kept in sync, and as one of the alkaline fruits, cherries are a great snack to have around to help you keep your balance.

Antioxidants and alkaline balances aside, cherries are the star of a new study involving sleep aids. The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas, investigated a type of cherry that has specific properties in order to help aid in an uninterrupted and restful sleep. A type of sour cherry, the Montmorency cherry is said to be named after a valley in France, but in the United States is typically found growing around Michigan and in Door County, Wisconsin. Producing a large, red fruit, the Montmorency tree has helped thousands of cherry pies and jams with their tart and sweet flavor.

The researchers at the University of Texas found that the Montmorency cherry has a significant amount of melatonin—a hormone found in the brain that regulates your body clock—which helps induce sleep. Melatonin was discovered at Yale University in 1958 and has been found since to decrease with age, leading to many elderly people having sleep troubles. According to a University in Spain, melatonin may also improve your anti-aging properties by slowing down the inflammation process. Both of these reports are good news for the cherry: not only is it naturally an antioxidant, but it may help calm your brain rhythms to help you sleep all while aging you gracefully.

I was watching a travel show the other day and saw a restaurant that deep fries everything from pizza to double-dipped cherry pie. While I wouldn’t recommend adding deep fried cherry pie to your diet in order to get a healthy dose of antioxidants, it sounds enticing enough to try once. Even though life may not always seem as simple as a bowl of cherries, your health may just rely on a handful of cherries (weather ripe and juicy or sweet and dried) as an easy way to keep yourself on track.